Basketball 
/ Nick Shiambouros / 25 February 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Like his team, Kobe is starting to hit the heights
"LA are peaking at the right time and will come out firing against this young Oklahoma rotation."
Kobe and co. are on the up but Oklahoma are having a good season and could cause the champs a few problems. Nick Shiambouros selects the best weekend NBA bets.
The Chicago Bulls beat the Miami Heat 93-89 in a pulsating encounter at the United Center on Thursday evening. The Bulls trailed by nine points at the half but staged a big rally in the third quarter ,scoring 27 points. Chicago sealed the victory after Luol Deng made a huge three point shot in the last minute of the game.
This was a very impressive performance by Chicago who are firing on all cylinders at the moment.
The new look Denver Nuggets beat the Boston Celtics 89-75 with a stellar defensive effort late on Thursday. The Nuggets held the Celtics scoreless over the final six minutes to record their second straight victory after trading Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to New York.
The injury hit Boston Celtics only dressed nine players in this game and this defeat is best forgotten.
There are a couple of very interesting games with playoff implications taking place this weekend.
The Oklahoma City Thunder play host to the Los Angeles Lakers in a nationally televised game on Sunday. Kobe Bryant scored 37 points and won his fourth MVP award last weekend after he led the Western Conference to victory in the All-Star Game. Bryant has elevated his game over the past few weeks and is determined to lead his team to a third consecutive NBA title.
The Lakers have won two games in a row since the All-Star break and appear to be playing with a lot more urgency than they were earlier in the season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are having an excellent year and are in fourth place in the Western Conference just 2.5 games behind the Lakers who occupy the third spot.
The Thunder added some size to the rotation this week when they acquired Kendrick Perkins from Boston in a last minute trade before the deadline on Thursday. I think this was a very shrewd move by Oklahoma who really needed a big man inside the painted area.
This promises to be a close run affair but I just favour the Lakers in this one. They are peaking at the right time and will come out firing against this young Oklahoma rotation. They should be priced around [1.9] in the match odds market.
Later on Sunday, the Miami Heat take on the New York Knicks at the American Airlines Arena. Earlier this week the Knicks moved heaven and earth to sign superstar forward Carmelo Anthony from Denver in a multiple player deal. The Knicks traded Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov in exchange for Anthony and veteran point guard Chauncey Billups.
The Knicks have paid a very high price for Carmelo Anthony but I believe he is worth it. He is one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA and his high energy playing style will suit New York down to the ground.
The Miami Heat have only lost five games at home all season but I think the Knicks could cause an upset. Carmelo Anthony and company should give Miami plenty to think about in this much anticipated game. New York is currently priced at [2.68] in the match odds market which is more than fair in my opinion.
Recommended bets:
Sunday back Los Angeles at [1.9] in the match odds market v Oklahoma
Sunday back New York at [2.68] in the match odds market v Miami
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